Daniel Ellsberg Page at Spirit of America Bookstore

A native of Chicago, raised in Detroit, Michigan, Daniel Ellsberg served as a company commander in the Marine Corps for two years, then completed a doctorate in economics at Harvard University in 1962. He joined the RAND Corporation's Economics Department as an analyst, and in 1964 was recruited to serve inside the Pentagon under Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara. Following two years in VietNam for the State Department, Ellsberg eventually returned to RAND.
At RAND, Ellsberg discovered documents that proved that the involvement of the U.S. in the war in VietNam was deliberately escalated, counter to the government's public statements. Unable to convince sypathetic U.S. Senators to reveal the documents on the Senate floor, Ellsberg, with the assistance of Anthony Russo, copied and finally leaked the documents to Neil Sheehan at The New York Times. The newspaper made headlines around the world in June 1971 when the 'Pentagon Papers' – a 7,000-page, top-secret study of decision-making about VietNam – were released to the public through The New York Times and The Washington Post.

Heroic 'whistle-blower' Ellsberg's release of the Pentagon Papers set in motion a chain of events that included a landmark Supreme Court decision, the arrest and trial of Ellsberg, the crimes of Watergate, and the end of the Nixon presidency and of the VietNam War. The charges against Ellsberg were dismissed in 1973 after it was discovered that President Nixon had authorized White House aides to burglarize Ellsberg's psychiatrist's office in an attempt to discredit Ellsberg. Conspirator Charles Colson was convicted in the Ellsberg burglary, serving seven months in prison; fellow conspirators John Ehrlichman and G. Gordon Liddy were convicted only in connection with the WaterGate burglary.

	"The Most Dangerous Man In America: Daniel Ellsberg and The Pentagon Papers" [First Run Features Feb 2010] A former Pentagon insider, armed only with his conscience, steadfast determination, and a file cabinet full of classified documents, decided to challenge the imperial Nixon Presidency, and subsequent events surrounding the so-called Pentagon Papers led directly to Watergate and the downfall of President Nixon, and hastened the end of the Vietnam War; 92-minute documentary features principals on both sides and declassified audiotapes of President Nixon and his inner circle of advisors. Co-produced, co-written & co-directed by Judith Ehrlich & Rick Goldsmith; Oscar nomination for Best Feature Documentary First Run Features color DVD [2/2010?] for $22.49 full credits at IMDb • official movie site
	"The Pentagon Papers" [Paramount tv special March 2003] An analyst for RAND Corp. and the U.S. government who supports the war in VietNam becomes disillusioned when he discovers classified Defense Dept. documents that detail the deliberate fabrication of reasons to go to war in Southeast Asia. Convinced that the American people deserve to know the truth, he risks his career, his freedom, and even his life to expose the duplicity of the U.S. war machine. Directed by Rod Holcomb; script by Jason Horwitch; starring James Spader, Claire Forlani, Paul Giamatti, Alan Arkin, Kenneth Welsh, Maria del Mar, Sean McCann, James Downing, Richard Fitzpatrick & Jonas Chernick; script won WGA's Paul Selvin Honorary Award Paramount color DVD [2/2004] for $17.99 full credits at IMDb
	"Risk, Ambiguity and Decision" [2001] by Daniel Ellsberg Routledge 9¼x6¼ hardcover [3/2001] for $65.00
	"Wildman: The Life & Times of Daniel Ellsberg" [2001] by Tom Wells Palgrave Macmillan hardcover [6/2001] for $26.00
	"Secrets: A Memoir of Vietnam & the Pentagon Papers" [2002] by Daniel Ellsberg listed in 'L.A. Times 100 Best Books of 2002'; PEN Center West Award for 'BestCreative Non-Fiction 2002' Viking 9½x6½ hardcover [10/2002] for $17.97 Penguin ABR audio [10/2002] for $24.47 Penguin ABR audio CD [10/2002] for $25.87

Spirit of America BookstoreDaniel Ellsberg

Spirit of America Bookstore
Daniel Ellsberg